ToolBox

NeWater is a research-action project (2005-2009) funded by the European Union’s 6th Framework research programme and focuses on adaptive water management. It conducts research on the adaptation measures necessary for addressing uncertainty through management tools such as IWRM.  It brings together 38 European academic and research institutions as partners. The project is concerned with how to integrate into management plans previsions to deal with the effects, certain and uncertain, that climate change will have on the bio-physical and socio-economic environments of a watershed. The project also aims at producing robust scientific knowledge on the intersection of science, policy, environment and management. It has been set up to inform policy-makers and practitioners through specific tools and other knowledge forms such as training materials and techno-scientific reports.

The research activities of the project are conducted in seven river basins in Europe (Elbe, Guadiana, Rhine and Tisza), Central Asia (Amudarya) and Africa (Nile and Orange). These basins function as laboratories where the practice of integrated management and adaptation is studied. Having as an objective to develop “new approaches to adaptive water management under uncertainty”, the project is expected to deliver key results in the following domains:
• Governance in water management;
• Sectoral integration;
• Scales of analysis in IWRM;
• Information management;
• Design criteria for infrastructure required for integrated and adaptive water management;
• Finances and risk mitigation strategies in water management;
• Implementation of the European Water Framework Directive and the European Water Initiative;
• Stakeholder participation; promoting new ways of bridging science, policy and implementation.

Adaptive Water Management

The managment of water resources needs to be able to adapt to changing, often unpredictable conditions. Learning from implemented measures and the consideration of uncertainties play a major role in this challenge. The FAQ linked here  provides information on the most important issues related to Adaptive Water Management (AWM).

Background of NeWater

Global change, fast changing socio-ecological conditions and increased uncertainties are issues addressed by AWM. How NeWater has addressed this topic is provided in the document:

Transition to adaptive water management: the NeWater project

General Framework

The "Management and Transition Framework" (MTF) is an interdisciplinary conceptual framework developed in the NeWater project. Its purpose is to analyse the characteristics and dynamics of water systems, especially with regard to governance, social learning and transition towards AWM. Read more